Application of [18F]FLT-PET in pulmonary arterial hypertension: a clinical study in pulmonary arterial hypertension patients and unaffected bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 mutation carriers.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by vascular cell proliferation leading to pulmonary vascular remodelling and ultimately right heart failure. Previous data indicated that 3'-deoxy-3'-[18F]-fluorothymidine (FLT) positron emission tomography (PET) scanning was increased in pulmonary arterial hypertension patients, hence providing a possible biomarker for pulmonary arterial hypertension as it reflects vascular cell hyperproliferation in the lung. This study sought to validate FLT-PET in an expanded cohort of pulmonary arterial hypertension patients in comparison to matched healthy controls and unaffected bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 mutation carriers.